The night grew later.
Inside the male dormitory, 4th floor, room number 8.
Lin lay on his bed with his eyes open—staring at the wooden ceiling with a serious expression.
Beside him, Junho was already sleeping peacefully—his breathing regular, his body not moving at all.
Lin turned slightly, making sure Junho was really asleep.
'Already asleep.'
He slowly got up from his bed—without sound, without any conspicuous movements.
His steps were very slow, as if his feet weren't touching the floor at all.
He walked toward the door, opening it carefully so it wouldn't make a sound, then closing it again gently.
Click...
After leaving the room, Lin stood in the empty corridor.
Only the sound of wind blowing from the open windows could be heard.
He took a deep breath, then closed his eyes for a moment.
Fwooosh...
His body suddenly became blurry—like a shadow beginning to fade.
In an instant, his figure disappeared from view.
This was one of the techniques from the Shadow Sect—Self-Concealment Technique.
The Shadow Sect was a secret organization tasked with monitoring, gathering information, and carrying out certain missions without being known by others.
This technique made its user invisible to the naked eye—even their footsteps made no sound at all.
But there was one weakness.
If someone stronger than the user was nearby, they could see their presence—although faintly.
Lin walked quickly through the empty corridor—his body like a shadow moving without sound.
He descended the stairs quickly, passed through the empty dining hall, then exited the dormitory building.
Outside, the night air felt colder.
Lin ran at high speed—his steps light, soundless, as if he was floating above the ground.
He left the dormitory complex, passed through the dark academy garden, then headed toward the high wall surrounding Avera Academy.
The wall was very high—about ten meters—made of solid stone with guards stationed at several points.
But Lin didn't head to the main gate.
He ran toward a small forest on the east side of the academy—a place rarely visited by people.
After entering the forest, he stopped in front of thick bushes.
He carefully pushed aside the bushes, then revealed a small wooden door deliberately hidden behind leaves and branches.
The door looked old and worn—but still sturdy.
Lin pulled the door gently.
Creeeek...
Behind it, a dark corridor leading underground opened up.
Basically, to leave Avera Academy—especially at night like this—was very strict.
All gates were heavily guarded, both front and back gates. No one could leave without official permission.
But Lin could leave freely.
Because he had a special badge—a silver badge.
That badge allowed its wearer to leave and enter the academy at will without having to report to the guards.
Lin descended into the underground corridor quickly.
The corridor was neat—its walls made of perfectly arranged bricks, the floor even, and several small torches burning along the walls, providing dim light.
After walking for several minutes, Lin arrived at a large room.
The room was quite spacious—about twenty square meters—with a high ceiling and several stone pillars supporting the structure above.
Inside the room, there were several tables and chairs made of wood. Several people sat there—all wearing black robes with hoods covering their faces.
When Lin entered, everyone in the room immediately turned toward him.
"Ah, Master Lin!"
They all stood respectfully.
Lin released his self-concealment technique—his body became clearly visible again.
He walked casually toward the long table at the very front of the room, then sat down calmly.
His expression was flat, but there was a serious aura emanating from his body.
"Bring me all the Avera Special Registration Forms."
His voice was firm.
"Yes!"
One of the black-robed people immediately walked to the corner of the room, took a large wooden box, then brought it to the table in front of Lin.
Thud!
The box was placed carefully on the table.
The person opened the box, revealing neatly stacked papers inside.
"Alright, this is everything."
He looked at Lin respectfully.
"Inside this box are all the Avera Special New Student Registration Forms."
Lin nodded, then began taking the papers one by one.
He read them carefully—his eyes scanning every detail written there.
Name.
Age.
Place of origin.
Master's name or sect.
Everything was neatly recorded.
But most of the forms looked ordinary—nothing interesting.
Children from famous families.
Children from major sects.
Children with clear backgrounds.
Lin let out a long sigh with a bored expression.
'Nothing interesting...'
But suddenly, his hand stopped.
His eyes narrowed, staring at two forms seriously.
[ FIRST FORM ]
NAME: Ryu
AGE: 19 Years Old
PLACE OF ORIGIN/FAMILY: Not allowed to tell,
MASTER'S NAME (OR SECT): Not allowed to tell,
[ SECOND FORM ]
NAME: Noah
AGE: 19 Years Old
PLACE OF ORIGIN/FAMILY: Okakushi Village, my parents' names don't need to be filled in because they're not important,
MASTER'S NAME (OR SECT): None
Lin stared at both forms with a serious gaze.
'Ryu... grandson of Jin.'
'And Noah... from Okakushi Village?'
He furrowed his brow.
He looked at Noah's form more carefully.
'No master. No sect.'
'Just a village kid?'
'But...'
Lin remembered what happened today—how Noah was able to pass through the labyrinth without triggering any traps at all.
'That kid is clearly not ordinary.'
A few days ago,
In a small eatery in a village, Lin sat at one of the wooden tables while sipping his warm tea.
In front of him sat a man dressed in black with a wide hat deliberately covering his face.
His name was Kyo—loyal servant of Master Shin, leader of the Shadow Sect and also one of those who built Avera Academy.
"Ah, what's up? Why did you suddenly come to my village?"
Lin looked at Kyo with a confused gaze.
Kyo lowered his voice, speaking softly so others wouldn't hear.
"I have a task for you."
Lin furrowed his brow.
"A task?"
He looked at Kyo with a sharp gaze.
"Hey Kyo, you know I've stopped being a shadow, right?"
Kyo nodded.
"I know."
He paused for a moment, then continued.
"But this is because of Master Shin. Master Shin wants you to do this. He's sure you can do better than other shadows."
He looked at Lin seriously.
"There's no way you'll refuse Master Shin, right?"
Lin fell silent.
He let out a long sigh.
"What kind of task requires me to do it?"
Kyo took out a small paper from his pocket, then handed it to Lin.
"You have more experience than them."
He looked at Lin seriously.
"Master wants you to watch a kid named Ryu—grandson of Jin, from the dark path academy!"
Lin almost choked on his tea.
"Hah?! Why so suddenly?!"
He looked at Kyo with a shocked gaze.
"Wait... don't tell me—"
"Just as you're thinking."
Kyo nodded seriously.
"Jin suddenly wants to enter his grandson into Avera Academy. Whatever his real purpose is."
He paused for a moment.
"Jin gave a letter to Master not to worry. He won't do anything crazy. He will follow Avera Academy's rules. And if his grandson makes a mistake, just expel him."
Kyo looked at Lin with a serious gaze.
"That's what's written in the letter."
"I want you to watch that kid. Even though he said that, Master doesn't seem to be someone who trusts easily."
He took out a silver badge from his pocket, then handed it to Lin.
"Therefore, when the academy starts, make sure you're near him. This—with this you'll pass without needing a test or anything."
Lin received the badge with an annoyed face.
"Alright. See you."
Kyo stood up, then disappeared from view—as if he had never existed.
Lin looked at the badge in his hand with a tired gaze.
"Haah..."
"I have to do work I haven't done in a long time."
Back to the present,
Lin stared at both forms in his hands with a serious gaze.
'Ryu, grandson of Jin...'
'Haah, rather than Ryu, I'm more interested in this kid named Noah.'
He looked at Noah's form more carefully.
'He... he's really strange.'
'What's written here is: he was born in Okakushi Village and doesn't have a teacher or sect.'
He furrowed his brow.
'Wait, I think I've heard the name Okakushi before, I don't remember where I heard it...'
He thought hard.
'Maybe my wife in the village knows about that village.'
'Honestly I really don't know about that village, I have to ask my wife for help.'
He let out a long sigh.
'That kid clearly looks unusual. Now I have to watch two people.'
'This is really going to be troublesome.'
Lin put the forms back into the box, then stood up from his chair.
'Tomorrow I'll send a letter to my wife to ask about that village.'
He turned around, then walked out of the underground room.